The way that most of us consume music has changed so much in the last decade that sometimes it is easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of music at our disposal. The combination of desire to hear as much music as possible and the ease with which we can do that can can cause us hurry from one record to another without taking the time to let it sink in and form a connection in our minds. Almost every music fan, and every person for that matter, has moments where an album feels like it was made specifically for them. These moments are becoming more and more rare as for me as I’ve gotten older and especially the last few years where I’ve become exposed to so much incredible new music that I can barely take the time to hear it all, much less actively listen. Justin Broadrick’s new album under his Jesu project is exactly that album for me. It is a gorgeous, melancholy and triumphant reminder that sometimes we need to sit down and simply let music wash over us. It would be impossible to simply describe the songs and hope it convinces some people to buy it because it would not do justice to the reaction I had to this record.
The over arching theme of the new record is birth, inspired by the birth of Justin Broadrick’s first child. As the birth of my first child is approaching it would be impossible to not feel a profound connection to this music. This may seem a bit overwrought but Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came is that album that had relevant subject matter, mood, sound and (most importantly) the timing with events in my own life to really resonate with me. It is hard to for me to frame a review as an unbiased outsider when the music effected me on a deeply personal level. To have one of my favorite artists of the last decade put out an album that so accurately sums up the hope, fear, doubt, joy and weight of becoming a parent is probably the best example of synchronicity I have ever experienced. So bear with some of my gushing over this record please, it is really marvelous even without all of my sentimental blathering too.
In a way Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came works like a catalogue overview for Jesu. It has a Heart Ache style long, slow building epic complete with chugging guitars and possibly the prettiest section of music ever recorded with double bass. It has a spacious guitar driven song that could have been on Ascencion and it has all of the dense layers and melody of Conqueror. That is not to give the impression that the album is somehow not cohesive. It is instantly gratifying but layered and complex enough that repeat listens are progressively more and more rewarding. It all comes together seamlessly and feels like the definitive Jesu statement. It is the sum of all of the records before and simultaneously gives hope for many more to come.
With a record like this the magic really is in the minor details that a listener doesn’t even actively listen for. Broadrick has always been a wizard in the studio but the little flourishes and production on this album like an odd dissonant chord or a barely audible melody give the whole album life. What really helps set this album apart from some of the previous Jesu records is how alive and personal it feels. It really feels like one man alone in a studio, even the hiss between songs and what sounds like a pedal being turned off or a tape machine being stopped really adds to the sense of isolation. The one exception to the solitude is 'The Great Leveler' which features Nicola Manzan on some incredibly beautiful strings. The addition of strings to the Jesu sound is perfect and sublimely enhance this 17 minute masterpiece. As the focal point of the album it is everything an epic Jesu song should and can be.
This isn’t so much a review as it is a love letter, or a thank you to my favorite release this year. In my somewhat clumsy attempt to describe this album in print the one thing I really want to get across is that we should allow music to affect us on a deeper level when the opportunity presents itself. Sometimes we, in our (justifiable) excitement for new music, forget this. I highly recommend putting this album on in headphones and listening to it by yourself, just like how it was created. It can stick with you if you let it. This has been an absolutely tremendous year for music and Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came stands among the very best.
